The North Borneo Beauty

A very interesting entry from my cousin’s blog, about Being A Dusun.

Its about the marriage in Dusun culture, how it being celebrated traditionally.

Anyway, the panau ceremony is the first part of the Dusun traditional wedding. On the night that the two families had agreed upon, a group representing the groom would go to the bride’s house (the ‘mooi panau’ group), bearing the bridal dowry, that was a type of gong called ’sanang’. The groom himself was not allowed to come along. Upon their arrival, the bride’s family would close all doors and windows, and while they were doing that, the ‘mooi panau’ group leader must try to get the ‘tutuntung’ (i.e the thing used for beating the ’sanang’) inside the house. Their succeed to get the ‘tutuntung inside’ would ensure that they could come in and claim the bride. Otherwise, they would have to use their wits- find a hole or anything that would get the ‘tutuntung’ through. (My imagination sketches another scenario- they would have to beg, sing or something like that till they were let in:-))

Visit her blog for more, you will smile to imagine how your grandparents have their wedding

Download: Tambunan Dusun Origin Myth

Have you ever wondered how the generation way before us lives? How they socialize and the culture, even the history?

I found a cool documentation on Tambunan Dusun Origin Myth by Low Kok On ,Universiti Malaysia Sabah. This could help on maybe getting to know our culture origin and so on..

Tambunan is a district in the interior of Sabah, East Malaysia in Northern
Borneo (Map 1). The majority of the indigenous peoples residing here are
known as Tambunan Dusuns. Tambunan Dusuns belong to a Dusunic
family. In the early 20th century, the social structure of the Tambunan
Dusuns was based on seven sub-tribes, namely Tuwawon, Tagahas, Tibabar,
Bundu, Gunnah, Palupuh and Kohub. Three out of the seven sub-tribes, i.e.
Tuwawon, Tagahas and Tibabar are still residing in Tambunan district to
date.

Just sharing ….

If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses,
what might not the heart of man
become in its long journey toward the stars?~
~G.K. Chesterton~

Checking my friend’s Edith, facebook just now, i cant help but admire the photos she just upload. Its just amazing to see all the beauty inside the forest she went in.

Rafflesia
Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest, solitary, fleshy flower in the world. It is a parasitic plant that grows on the lower slopes of mountain ranges, in certain areas of South-east Asia. (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo)

The first Europeans to discover the Rafflesia were Sir Stamford Raffles,(founder of Singapore) and Dr Joseph Arnold in 1816, near the town of Bencoolen (Bengkulu) in Sumatra and this particular species was named Rafflesia arnoldii in their honour.

Besides being the world’s largest bloom, it is a very strange and baffling plant. The Rafflesia has no specific flowering season. It has no roots, stem or leaves. In addition, each flower produces just one seed and this seed can only germinate if it succeeds in lodging itself in the tissue of the Tetrastigma vine, which crawls along the rainforest floors.

This is why the Rafflesia is usually floor bound. The flower extracts food from the vine by extending threadlike filaments into its tissue. Its penchant for attaching exclusively to the Tetrastigma partly explains why the flower is very rare.

After taking about 9 months to mature into a cabbage-sized bud, the plant opens. The petals, usually 5, sometimes 6, are red in colour and covered with lighter coloured spots. It only flowers for 5 to 6 days, before the petals blacken and the flower withers.

Although the Rafflesia can grow up to one metre in diameter, the flowers are usually half that size with the occasional monster-sized bloom appearing from time to time. The record bloom of Rafflesia arnoldii, stretched 91cms (3 ft) in diameter, 1.9 cms (3/4 ins) thick and weighed 7 kgs (15 lbs).

Interesting ain’t they?

Thinking to go Sabah? Check out the Reflesia Blooming time before you go, because its really worth to see this world biggest flower!

Sumazau Dance

The Sumazau dance can be considered the state dance of Sabah. The arm gestures are likened to that of a bird and it floats gracefully at approximately shoulder level with gentle bending of the elbow and wrist or alternatively is swung gently like a pendulum, parallel at the sides of the body.

The costumes are authentically Kadazan and are usually black in colour and made of a velvet type material adorned with the appropriate accessories.

The music is provided by gongs of different size.

The dance can be slow and can be fast..Depends on the music..

Lets do the sumazau!

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